May 9, 2026 If you google the history of Mother’s Day, the internet will tell you that Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis decided to honor her mother. But “Mothers’ Day”—with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s….

May 8, 2026 In case you’re wondering what kind of a news day it was, President Donald J. Trump announced that the “Department of War” was releasing “Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.”

Today's American Conversations with Georgia Supreme Court candidates @jenjordanga.bsky.social and Miracle Rankin @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/0VwqcdP...

May 7, 2026 Today Tennessee state representative Justin Jones burned a Confederate battle flag in the rotunda of the Tennessee State Capitol in protest of the legislature’s redrawing of the state’s congressional district maps to erase the majority-Black 9th Congressional District.…

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/KBHJ_st...

May 6, 2026 It has not been a banner day for members of the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported that Iranian strikes since February 28, when U.S. and Israeli air strikes began, have caused far more damage to U.S. military sites in the Middle East than….

May 5, 2026 Late yesterday, Republicans in the Senate released their funding request for the budget reconciliation bill. It includes $1 billion for White House security, including Trump’s proposed ballroom. President Donald J. Trump unexpectedly began the process of knocking down the East Wing….

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/7x94Fif...

People at my new job at @jmstownrediscovery.bsky.social when I told them I know Heather Cox Richardson: “Yeah, right. Sure.” Me when she visited us last week: “How ya like me now? Also, you’re all fired.” (Just kidding.) Thanks for visiting & getting me some cool points, @hcrichardson.bsky.social!

You’re invited! @thehometownholler.bsky.social & @hcrichardson.bsky.social are back together! May 27th, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm EDT Learn more at the link below. secure.actblue.com/donate/team-...

May 4, 2026 According to a new Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll, fifty-nine percent of Americans believe President Donald J. Trump does not have the mental sharpness necessary to lead the country. Fifty-five percent think he does not have the physical health to serve as president.…

May 3, 2026 Late on Friday night, President Donald J. Trump took to social media. At 11:03 he posted an AI-generated image of himself, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, all shirtless, along with an unidentifiable woman….

May 2, 2026 Today was the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, which was launched in 1875 as horse racing—with its famous Black jockeys, who won more than half of the first 28 derbies—was gaining an audience in the U.S…. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-2-2026

May 1, 2026 Today is the deadline for President Donald J. Trump to ask Congress for approval for his war on Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, a president has the authority to respond to an “imminent threat” without congressional approval, so long as he notifies Congress in writing….

April 30, 2026 Today G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers noted that Trump has hit a new low in overall job performance and in his handling of the economy, at -22.2 and -40.3, respectively.… heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-30-2...

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/DBSGndg...

April 29, 2026 I will have plenty to say about the Supreme Court’s decision today in Callais v. Louisiana, but tonight I want to make sure that yesterday’s speeches by President Donald J. Trump and King Charles III of the United Kingdom don’t get lost in the tidal wave of news….

April 28, 2026 There is a frenzied feeling to the news coming from the White House these days. Yesterday, the administration tried to blame Democrats and the media for the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night….

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/dz1HCGW...

April 27, 2026 There is a story behind this picture from Virginia's Skyline Drive that I will write as soon as there’s a little breathing room in the news. But for now, let’s just enjoy a break. We can pick it all back up tomorrow.

April 26, 2026 Today Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Department of Justice Civil Division wrote to the lawyer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation demanding that the organization drop its lawsuit against Trump’s planned ballroom….

April 25, 2026 Tonight the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) held its annual black-tie dinner, which is designed both to raise money for the institution and to provide a glitzy night out for journalists. In recent years the event has drawn criticism for….

April 24, 2016 On April 25, 1945, delegates from fifty nations met in San Francisco to establish a permanent forum for international cooperation: the United Nations. Even before the U.S. entered World War II, U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt….

April 23, 2026 Yesterday Secretary of the Navy John Phelan spent the day talking to lawmakers about the Navy’s plans for new ships and about the Pentagon’s huge budget request only to get a call from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to resign. Phelan is a billionaire businessman who….

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/EvVPhRv...

April 22, 2026 Virginia voters yesterday agreed to a constitutional amendment that would temporarily redistrict the state if any other state redistricted for partisan reasons: that is, in retaliation for the partisan redistricting President Donald J. Trump launched in Texas in 2025….

Letters from an American April 21, 2026

April 21, 2026 There is the unmistakable feeling that the wheels are coming off the MAGA bus. Alayna Treene and Kevin Liptak of CNN reported last night that by the end of last week, negotiators for the U.S. and Iran appeared to be on the verge of hammering out an end to hostilities….

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/sSZHkUd...

Happy Earth Day! A @lizadonnelly.bsky.social drawing!

April 20, 2026 Late Saturday evening, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey of the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was so unstable and angry after learning on April 3 that Iranians had shot down an American jet that his aides kept him out of the room as they received updates, simply telling him….

April 19, 2026 On the evening of April 18, 1775, the people who lived in the British colony of Massachusetts had gone to bed with the sun, as usual. By the evening of April 19, everything had changed. In the past twenty-four hours, soldiers from their own government had opened fire on them….

April 18, 2025 And, just like that, President Donald J. Trump’s triumphant boasting that the Strait of Hormuz had been permanently reopened has unraveled in less than 24 hours. Citing the continuing U.S. blockade, Iranian officials announced they were closing the strait again.…

April 17, 2026 This morning, after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect Thursday, Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial ships. Israel has been bombing southern Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah militants operate, and Iran’s leadership has said….

Today with @hcrichardson.bsky.social & @morelle.house.gov www.youtube.com/live/ROhay7D...

April 16, 2026 Congress is back in session, and there is a frantic feel in the air. Republicans appear to be assessing the fall of Hungarian prime minister Victor Orbán, Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior along with his abysmal job approval numbers, rising prices, and an unpopular war in Iran….

From today’s Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/EpP6i73...

April 15, 2026 On the evening of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln went to Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., to see a production of the comedy “Our American Cousin.” The Lincolns had spent the afternoon…. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-15-2...

Boundary Waters Vote Happening in 1 Hour—Call Your Senators Now and Say You Oppose House Joint Resolution 140 202-224-3121 youtube.com/live/BZile4_...

Today's Lunch Money with @hcrichardson.bsky.social & @pkrugman.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/i2OtDhS...

April 14, 2026 There are signs the political game has changed in the United States since Hungarian voters rejected Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s leadership on Sunday, April 12. His party’s loss of control of the government to a supermajority of its opponents.…

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/vkWrULj...

April 13, 2026 On April 12, the day of Hungary’s parliamentary elections, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) posted on social media that it was closely watching the election and stood firmly behind Prime Minister Viktor Orbán…. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-13-2...

April 12, 2026 By the end of 2024, inflation in the U.S., which had soared in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdowns, was almost back to the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2%. Even so, during the 2024 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised he would bring prices down on Day One….

April 11, 2026 At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, a federal fort built on an artificial island in Charleston Harbor. Attacking the fort seemed a logical outcome of events that had been in play for at least four months.…

April 10, 2026 It feels like something shifted in the United States this week after President Donald J. Trump threatened on Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-10-2...

Today with @hcrichardson.bsky.social & @kim.senate.gov www.youtube.com/live/qJ2KmH2...

April 9, 2026 The ceasefire President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday night fell apart almost immediately. Israel complained that it hadn’t been consulted, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted…. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-9-2026

Today's Politics Chat with @hcrichardson.bsky.social youtu.be/Vg1GIFii-8A